Wentworth Institute of Technology Athletics

Women's Volleyball's Rally Falls Short to UMass Boston

Leopards' rally falls short, 3-2, to Beacons; Kate McLane leads offense with 22 kills

Photo by Haley Dando '24 M'25
Photo by Haley Dando '24 M'25
Box Score
September 11, 2024

BOSTON, Mass. – A rally from two sets behind came up short for the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team (6-1) Wednesday evening as they fell to the crosstown UMass Boston Beacons (5-3) in a five-set thriller.

In the Leopards' first setback of the season, Kate McLane led the attack with 22 kills while Olivia Vaughn dished out 44 assists. Amanda Zweifler (28) and McLane (22) led the charge in digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

  • Two finishes by McLane gave the Leopards a 3-1 lead in the opening set before the Beacons tightened the race, with the two teams swapping scores to a 17-17 draw. UMass Boston took a 19-17 edge before kills from Helen Barthe and Emma Sanders gave Wentworth a 20-19 edge. The two teams battled to a 23-23 knot until the Beacons rolled away with a 25-23 set win.
  • UMass Boston got out to a 5-3 lead in the second before two kills from Sanders knotted the score. The hosts re-gained their lead and held it until a Zweifler ace knotted things at 13-all. UMass Boston outpaced Wentworth the rest of the way, with the Beacons holding on for a 25-18 set win.
  • Three finishes from McLane combined with a slew of errors gave the Leopards a dominant 7-1 lead in the third set before an ace from Vaughn and kill from Sanders marked a 14-3 score. Two kills from Barthe helped push the lead to 17-9 before two more tacked on with errors helped the Black & Gold to a 25-11 set win, marking a 2-1 match.
  • UMass Boston hopped out to a 6-3 lead in the fourth set before two kills from Barthe helped bring the Leopards back in an 8-8 draw. Kills from McLane, Sanders, and Riley Schoonmaker gave the Black & Gold a 12-10 lead before a string of eight finishes by McLane carried Wentworth to a 25-13 set win.
  • The Beacons hurried out to 7-2 and 9-4 leads in the fifth set before kills from Barthe and Sanders helped cut the Leopards' deficit to 9-8. The two teams juked it out to a 13-13 tie before the Beacons prevailed with a 15-13 win on a service ace.

NEXT UP:

  • The Black & Gold return home for a tri-match versus Simmons and WestConn on Saturday.

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